#arjunmuralidharan

[arjun-muralidharan]

June 26th to 28th 2008 Venue: Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard Time clocked: 2:02.57 Olympic Qualifying Target Timing: 2.01.78 Location: Montreal Quebec Canada

The new Neophrene Speedo LZR racing suits were launched about a month prior to this meet and were all the buzz about how they are reducing about half a second for all the swimmers who got their hands on one. Only a selective few coaches were given these suits to help their swimmers make the Olympic cut. I asked my coach Byron Macdonald to get me one if possible. But he said it wasnt available in my size as i was a size 44 at the time. My teammate Terrence Hayes got his hands on a size 40 LZR which was his size. I asked him if i could borrow it for the 100 butterfly and he said yes. The suit took a good 45 mins to put on with the help of my brother but i knew it was too tight and difficult to breathe in but the tradeoff was worth it if it helped me make the Olympic cut. My target was to go 54.50 and qualify in the 100 itself and not leave it all to my main event which was the 200 fly. But unfortunately these suits as amazing as they were had a notorious reputation for having atrocious zips which never held together. On the blocks as the starter buzzed prepping to say "take your marks" my suits zip snapped open and my heart froze as i realised what happened. I swam the race with my entire suit filled with water way off the mark at 57.24. It was extremely disheartening and i decided to give up the idea of experimenting with any new suits and rely on my own Speed FS PRO suit for the 200 fly as that was my last chance.

100 fly results: https://www.swimrankings.net/index.php?page=meetDetail&meetId=530519&gender=1&styleId=16

Next morning woke up at 5:45 AM in my hotel room. Had a couple of bananas with energy drinks & stretched for about 30 mins preparing for the morning prelim swim. I had strategised to win the event and secure an Olympic QT i will need to secure a top 3 position in the prelims. My target was to swim 2:08 in the heats trusting that my conditioning and recovery rate helps me get ready & push through to 2:01 in the finals later in the day. Was about an hour's drive to the pool from our hotel as Montreal traffic jams are quite hectic. All through the journey had my ipod on listening to my usual rap tracks to be in the zone and suppress the butterflies in my stomach. Reached the pool and got in for the warmup. The water felt extremely light and muscles were feeling loose and fluid. This reinforced my confidence by a huge margin.

The race started out i was in the first heat. TIM RUSE of Pointe-Claire Swim Club and KISHIDA Masayuki of Japan took the lead early into the race with me comfortably in the third place. I decided to swim conserving energy i increased my stroke rate and pace around 150 meters pulling ahead of Tim RUSE and qualifying 5th for the finals swimming 2:09. Went back to the hotel had a big breakfast and a quick nap. However our swim coaches wouldnt give us a seperate room like the first two days and asked us to move and adjust with 7 other swimmers in one bed. Unfortunately some of the swimmers were given seperate rooms for their events. I knew i had a lot riding on this race to qualify for Beijing Olympics and i couldnt afford to let lack of rest and comfort come in the way of my performance. So i had to fight with other swimmers who didnt have events and ask them to move so i can get a bed to take a nap on prior to the finals. My older brother Amar who was after the same goal had swam in the morning and qualified third for the finals clocking 2:09. He couldnt get a proper place to sleep thanks to all the money saving going on by the club into clustering up swimmers so they dont have to pay for rooms. I was willing to pay more for my own room but the management and coaches refused to accomodate this request. My brother went out to Harvey's & Tim Horton's and got us both lunch which consisted of a few gatorade drinks and chicken burgers.

At about 3:00 PM we checked out of the hotel and went with all our luggage to the pool for the finals. I warmed up surprisingly feeling good but the water felt slightly cold which didnt matter much to me. I knew i am going to swim fast during the warm up but the question was how fast will it be and will it be enough? I meditated a bit after the warmup in solitude praying to the god of strength, visualizing my race and started suiting up in my FS PRO which was an old / outdated suit at the time but i trusted it'll get the job done.

As me and my brother walked out for the finals we suddenly saw the on deck commentator getting the crowd going on the last day. There were about 15000 people in attendance that broke out into a mexican wave. It was a sight to see and got me pumped up to swim the race fast. 10 mins after we were in the marshalling room getting ready to walk out to the blocks when the commentator announced the names of the swimmers walking out one by one. As our names were called out the announcer asked the crowd to give a big round of applause for us for coming all the way from India and racing in Canada. 5000 large crowd stood up and clapped for us making me feel honored and proud. It was a very unforgettable and special moment for us in our lives.

The race started with me opening out in the blistering 56.83 taking the lead. As i made the turn for the third 50 i saw the Toronto Swim Club team standing near my lane and screaming for me to bring it home. In the last lap at the 175 meters mark my hands turned to concrete but i knew it was a do or die situation. I said screw it and went 20 meters head down swim with my lungs nearing explosion but i wouldnt relent till i touched the wall, when i finally hit the last stroke i knew i left whatever i had and gave it my all regardless of the outcome. I turned around and saw that i missed the Olympic qualifying mark by .70 of a second. However i had broken the Canada Cup record and become the first and only Indian swimmer to win a gold at a foreign national championship. It was a mixed emotion of feeling you accomplised something but sad that you lost something at the same time. All my coaches, training partners came and gave me a pat, handshakes and three cheers along with the crowd as well. After coming out of the pool all i could do is take a bow and acknowledge the great people who were showing appreciation.

I had a long and heartfelt call with my dad and mentor who was back home watching the race live. He said "The only thing that matters is that you gave it your best and made your parents and country proud" In the end that is the main thing.

200 fly results: https://www.swimrankings.net/index.php?page=meetDetail&meetId=530519&gender=1&styleId=17

All in all it was a great experience and something i cherish to this day. Winning and Losing is all a part of the sport. What matters is what you take from it and how you grow thereafter. These are the experiences we impart onto our students who will be the champions of tommorrow.

[arjunmuralidharan12]

Arjun Muralidharan Swimmer is an Indian athlete and the director of Bluewater Sports Academy, which is located in Baner, Pune. In his spare time, he coaches young children at Bluewater Swim Academy. Under his guidance, numerous students have successfully learned various swimming styles.

[arjunmuralidharan]

Arjun Muralidharan is an Indian swimmer and also the first Indian swoon to win a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Arjun Muralidharan Swimmer is similarly the Director of Bluewater Sports Academy located at Baner Pune. In his spare time, he coaches youthful children at Bluewater Swim Academy.